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Our grass is also ready to mow now but Dad's still trying to decide how to proceed. A few years ago, when "The Mighty Thor" (Dad's Sears Craftsman tractor that he bought in 1971 and both mowed the lawn with it and, after attaching a plow, plowed the driveway with it) finally needed to be retired (after 50 years! And double duty! And it was actually still running when the guy came to collect it for scrap!), Dad decided he'd just rather have someone else mow the lawn. He never taught me how to do it...though to be fair, I never asked <g> (and he actually enjoyed the solitude...and the yard is a full acre, with trees making it difficult to cut the very back of the backyard). A neighbor had someone cutting their lawn once a week; Dad asked that guy (Anthony) if he would cut our lawn every other week (we're not yard proud...or house proud...basically, we do just enough upkeep to keep the township off our backs). Anthony agreed and for the last 4-5 years, he's come out every other Tuesday and cut the lawn for $60 a cut.

But Anthony retired at the end of last summer. He sent out a letter saying someone had taken over his business but that person hasn't reached out to us and hasn't responded to any of the phone calls or emails Dad directed his way. There's a guy on the next street who cuts lawns...he told me he would cut our lawn but it would be $75/cut AND *he* would decide how often it needed cutting. He told me he likes to mow once a week...I bet you do, buddy.

So now Dad's weighing his options. Keep trying to get hold of Anthony's replacement? Sign up with the neighbor? I asked Dad if Anthony had him sign some kind of contract and he didn't recall (we sign a contract with the snowplow guy who gets his money twice a winter no matter how often he plows...or doesn't plow). I suggested maybe have the neighbor cut the lawn once, for $75, and call it a trial run to see if both parties are happy with the job. I've also suggested Dad ask one of the neighbors if they would be willing to drive their tractor over and mow our lawn; Dad would pay them both for the gas and their time. I can think of three neighbors who'd be happy to do so...but Dad's too proud to ask for that kind of help. Finally, I suggested contacting our church and see if one of the many, many people who attend there has a lawnmowing service or a landscaping business or would even know anyone who does. I truly believe SOMEBODY would be willing to help out in the spirit of reflecting God's love and Jesus' command to help one another.

Dad's actually considering getting another lawnmower but he's appalled by both the price and how complicated some of them are. About a decade ago, he borrowed our long time neighbor's mower, which has the levers instead of a steering wheel to cut the neighbor's yard after he was laid up with an injury...Dad wound up overturning the mower and landing himself in the culvert that runs along the neighbor's property. Thankfully he was unhurt.